Saving Annie
by A.Mikami
Summary: AU - Have you ever had a friend that completely changed your life, in a good way? What if he or she was falling apart before your eyes? What would you do? How would you help your friend? The SK Gang do their best to save a precious friend...
1. Something's up with Annie

**SAVING ANNIE**

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A/N: Just so you know, each chapter will be written in a different POV. Have fun figuring out who's narrating. Don't worry, it won't be difficult.

Disclaimer: Shaman King **does not** belong to me.

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**Chapter 1: Something's up with Annie.**

The final bell rang, indicating that classes were over.

I got my books and exited the classroom, wondering why she hadn't come to school today. She usually calls when something happens and she can't arrive, but lately… she hasn't been herself. And I'm worried.

Once in my car, I started the engine and took out my cell phone… I hesitated. Should I call her? Maybe she doesn't want to speak to me.

"Did you two get into an argument?" Yoh asked from outside, plastering his face against my car window.

"AH!" I yelled. He startled me.

"Hahaha," Yoh laughed, stupidly, "I didn't mean to freak you out."

"You didn't," I lied. "You idiot… coming out of nowhere."

"You haven't answered my question, Len," he insisted. "Did you two have an argument?"

"No," I answered. "She has just been really depressed lately and… really emotional. I don't want to trigger another one of those episodes… I don't know what's wrong with her. She won't talk about it."

"Depressed? Again?" Yoh asked, worriedly. "Yeah, she does seem… not herself lately."

I nodded.

"Maybe she's having trouble with her stepdad again," Yoh thought out loudly.

"Maybe…" I agreed. "I just hope it isn't too serious."

We remained silent for a while, submerged in our own, different thoughts…

"I KNOW!" someone exclaimed, plastering their stupid face against my car window… again!

"AH!" both Yoh and I yelled. "You, son of a--!"

Horo opened the back door and let himself into my car, "Let's go visit her," he said.

-

A leaf fell on the windshield, followed by another. Their green color was fading, taking in some brown. Autumn was just around the corner.

A soft breeze blew them away…

-

"No, not today," I said. "Let's give her some space. Besides, we know better that to arrive unannounced."

Horo and Yoh sighed, knowing what I meant. I waited for them to get out of my car, but they just sat there… staring at me.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"We need a ride," they said in unison.

"Idiots,"

-

After dropping those two off, I went straight home. Once inside, I headed to the kitchen for glass of cold milk. My sister was there.

"Annie called," she said.

"Really? What did she say?"

"To call her back,"

I finished my milk and went up to my room to call her. She answered at the first ring. She sounded tired.

--Um, hi, Annie.

--Hey, Len.

--Are you ok?

--Um, yeah, sort of… Listen… can I spend the night at your place?

That took me by surprise.

--Yeah, sure… Is everything ok?

--I'll tell you about it when I get there.

--Ok.

I heard her sigh in relief.

--Thanks.

--Don't worry about it.

--Ok, I'll be there in like half an hour. Bye.

--Bye.

-

Half an hour later or so, the doorbell rang. I headed downstairs to open the door, but Jun beat me to it, and there was Annie walking towards the base of the stairs, waiting for me to reach her. As I drew closer, I instantly became more worried. She had dark lines under her eyes, giving away that she hadn't slept well. And also, her eyes were red and puffy, indicating that she had been crying.

"Hey," I said softly, taking her bag from her.

"Thanks," she said, forcing a smile.

It's been a while since I started feeling awkward around her. Sometimes I didn't know what to say or do in her presence. I got anxious around her. I caught myself staring at her, or thinking about her… what was happening to me?

"So… let's head up to my room so we can talk," I finally said, breaking the silence between us.

"Sure," she answered.

-

Once in my room, she sat on my bed and didn't speak. I sat beside her.

"I'm fine," she said.

"You don't look fine," I answered. "Please, tell me what's happening to you… you know you can trust me…"

-

Please? Two years ago "please" was a limited word in my regular vocabulary. Two years ago, we were both 14, and starting 9th grade. Two years ago, she came into my life. Well, not only my life, she became part of the gang and part of all of our lives: Horo's, Yoh's, Hao's, Anna's and Lyserg's.

She was always closer to Lyserg, but this year things have changed. Around March, he and his parents moved to Germany because of some job promotion. His departure affected her a bit, but she still had us, and somehow Annie and I became closer. But I know that the bond she and Lyserg share is something special. Anyway, who would have thought that Annie and I would become such great friends? We had such a rough start. I was such a jerk back then. No, wait. I was an even greater jerk before I met the gang. Somehow, they put up with me and I started changing. They were my first friends… Yet, her arrival triggered something in me and she made me a better person. Although sometimes… I still act like a jerk, I admit.

"Once a jerk, always a jerk," she'd tease.

-

"My stepdad…" she said, finally.

-

Usually, when we (the gang) hang out at Annie's place, her parents aren't around. Sometimes her mom is there, but much isn't said. She just sees us, says hi, and leaves. Or she says nothing at all. We have never met her stepdad, though. Only seen him, but never actually met him. She makes sure that we are never around when he is. Sometimes, when we are about to leave, he arrives. He just waves goodbye to us and we do the same. We've never had a real interaction with him…

"There is a reason for that," she would say. And that was it. All we knew is that she didn't get along with them.

But Lyserg did meet him once. He stopped by to carry Annie's books since she was at home, sick with the flu.

"_Something's just not right… I don't know how to explain it. I mean, he greeted me and let me in so I could go see Annie… he smiled and introduced himself… yet… he gives off this vibe. I don't know, but I'm worried about Annie and him being under the same roof."_

Those were his exact words. I'll never forget them.

-

She got up from the bed and started pacing in front of me.

"He's just being more of an ass lately. He still thinks he can control me, and he still treats my mom like dirt and she just… lets him," she said, quietly. "Last night… he just yelled at me the whole night, and then, when I went to my room, I could hear my mom and him just… scream at each other.

"Some neighbor even called the police and I don't know how he managed not to be taken down to the station… God, Len, I feel like… things are just going to get worse… things are just going to go out of control, someday… and my mom is just letting all this happen…"

I saw a tear escape from her eye and roll down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, "I want my dad back," she mumbled. "Why'd he have to die?"

I got up and stood in front of her. She refused to look at me.

I put my hands on her shoulders and pulled her close to me into a hug. I didn't know what else to do, I mean, what could I say? I had no words… How does one answer a question like that?

I wrapped one arm around her shoulders and I caressed her head with my other hand. After a while, she hugged me back, wrapping her arms around my torso and buried her face in my chest.

I don't know how long we remained this way. She relaxed after a while, but she didn't let go… and neither did I. Soon, Jun called us for dinner and we slowly separated, without looking at each other.

I opened the door for Annie, and the instant we stepped out of my room, we were greeted by the smell of burnt chicken. She snorted and I sighed. We went downstairs, to the kitchen, and found Jun staring at her mess.

"How about pizza?" she asked, nervously.

"Pizza sounds fine," Annie laughed.

I sighed again, "I'll drive,"

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A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review.


	2. Bermudian Kites

**SAVING ANNIE**

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**A/N: Hey, everyone, it's been a while. Here is a longer chapter to make up for my absence. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

I'd like to clarify something before we continue. I write "Len" and not "Ren" because I watched Shaman King in Spanish (the Latin American version), and he is called "Len".

Oh, and remember each chapter might be set in a different POV, Last chapter it was Len's, and in this one it's...

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**Chapter 2: Bermudian Kites.**

"_Every Easter, Bermudians of all ages build kites, usually of traditional Bermudian type, which are flown to symbolize Christ's ascent," he had told her when he returned home from Bermuda with her gift in hand. "How about we work on this the whole week, and Saturday, if the weather is right, we fly it?_

_He smiled when her beautiful gray eyes lit up, "Thanks, daddy!"_

"_It doesn't look that bad, does it?" he asked his daughter, holding up the kite so both of them could examine it. _

_They were constructed from flat sticks arrayed like spokes of a wheel, with a nail at the axis. A string passed around the ends of the sticks, marking out the edges, and concentric strings were arranged inside of this, all contributing to the rigidity of the structure. Colored tissue paper was glued into the spaces created between strings and sticks. Using different colors, patterns were created. It was shaped like an octagon._

"_Are you kidding?" she squealed. "It's perfect!"_

"_Couldn't have done it without you, princess," he smiled. "Now, tomorrow we'll see if this baby can fly."_

_---  
_

"Annie,"

The image of my father began to blur, and the voice repeated, "Annie, wake up,"

It was a strong voice, yet gentle and melodic at the same time. It brought me back to reality.

I opened my eyes slowly, but my vision was blurred.

"Were you crying?"

I wiped my eyes and found that they were moist. Then I focused on the person. His golden eyes looked straight into my gray ones.

"No, I'm fine…" I said in a raspy voice. I cleared my throat. "It was just a dream."

"Nightmare?" Len asked.

"No," I answered. I really didn't want to talk about it and he could tell, so he didn't push it. Instead he asked me if I was well enough to go to school.

"Yeah," I said, pushing the covers off me and getting out a bed… maybe a little too quickly. I grabbed onto Len's shoulder to steady myself.

"Wow… you okay?" he asked, getting up and helping me steady my balance.

"Yeah, I just…" I closed my eyes for a while, "felt a little light headed, that's all."

"Then you should stay and--,"

"No," I interrupted him, and opened my eyes. "Classes started two weeks ago and I already missed a day. I don't want to flunk 11th grade." I said as I headed to open the huge window curtains.

The sky resembled the color of my eyes, and the sun was just a bright blur behind the sheet of dark clouds. In the backyard garden, many trees had lost their leaves, which indicated the official start of fall.

"You exaggerate," Len said, walking up next to me. "Flunk 11th grade… You aren't that stupid, you know?"

I laughed, and tried to hit him, but he avoided it swiftly, I cursed.

The real reason I wanted to go to school was because there I could attempt to keep my mind busy, as opposed to lying in a bed. There were certain things I didn't want to think about right now. Or dream about.

And, also, today is Friday, September 18th: the first match of the female volleyball season of 2008.

-

I was 14 years old when I moved to Meguro, Tokyo and started 9th grade at KAIS International School, formerly Kikokushijo Academy International School. Practically the first thing I did was to try out for the volleyball team.

KAIS provides an English-based education to Japanese, and international junior high and high school students living in Tokyo. Its curriculum is accredited in the United States through its association with Stanford University EPGY and Laurel Springs School in California, USA, and graduates attend international universities in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere.

They offer programs for grades 6-12 and integrates SAT preparation, creative classes, yoga, science laboratories, digital music composition, academic writing, and literature classes into its curriculum. They also use the "One MacBook per student" educational philosophy.

It's a really good school, but obviously, expensive. I mean, "One MacBook per student", so, yeah. But, luckily my dad had started a trust fund for me even before I was born, and he kept depositing until… I was 12. I wasn't supposed to have access to the money until I turned 18, but given the situation…

I started using it when I moved to Meguro with my mom and the step-monster. Even though my relationship with my mom changed drastically after my dad's death and… other unfortunate and cruel series of events… she still respected my dad enough not to touch my money… but she was still my legal guardian, and she had to approve of the way I used it. So anytime I wanted to withdraw a certain amount of money I had to make her sign a sort of permission document. I would usually just give her the paper and she would sign it without questioning me, at least. And she was smart enough not to let the step-monster know about it.

My dad didn't leave me a fortune, but it was enough to pay for my 2 years at KAIS. And aside from paying for school and school materials, I could use some money for shopping and going out with my friends. I made sure I used that money responsibly, though, as it wasn't going to last forever.

-

Len left the room so I could get ready, and I took a quick bath because we were already running a little late. I put on a light blue, long sleeved cotton sweater and a black pair of skinny jeans, and my black All Star Converse.

Now: hair. I have a lot of hair; voluminous, like my mom's. Dark brown and wavy, and cut in layers; it reaches to the middle of my back. I left it loose to dry naturally.

I packed my gym bag and put it on the bed next to my school bag. I took out my make-up kit (a gift from Jun; she showed me how to use it and "bring out my beauty") and put on some moisturizer and a little liquid concealer under my eyes to hide the dark lines. I applied some eyeliner and lip gloss and I was ready to go.

"Annie, you have a FULL Cover Girl make-up kit and all you do is put on eyeliner!?" Jun complained once I was downstairs.

"And gloss," I added.

"Go back upstairs; I want you to put some color on those cheeks,"

"…"

"Jun, she's going to school not to the freaking circus!" Len said, frustrated.

Poor Len. He has to live with an aspiring make up artist, and fashion designer. She is currently taking some business administration courses here in Tokyo and does make up for small photo shoots and parties.

Well, he got something good out of it: he dresses good.

Jun sighed, "Fine…" She knew I didn't like to wear a lot of make up, but she just wishes I would "play with it more". Well, at least she got me to use it, and I ended up liking it.

"Annie, we are late," Len said, eyes closed and rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to calm down. "We don't have time to sit down and eat, but you can grab some bread, and I made tea. I'll buy us breakfast on our way to school."

"I'm not hungry,"

He opened his eyes and looked at me, "Your eating habits have changed…"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Haven't really given it much thought."

He headed to the door, "You have a match today, you **need** to eat breakfast… we'll stop to get some on our way to school."

"But we'll be late,"

"We are already," he argued.

"But…" I gave up. "Fine."

-----------------

We got into Len's 3 Series black convertible BMW and took off. I turned on the radio and scanned for some good music.

I yawned.

"Didn't sleep well?" Len asked, keeping his eye on the road.

"I did," I lied. "I'm just still sleepy."

We stopped and bought breakfast to carry with us.

"Don't make a mess," Len warned, once it the car again.

"I'm not a child," I complained, sipping some tea and giving him a dirty look. "Men and cars."

"Women and make up," he retorted.

I stuck my tongue out at him and started nibbling on my sandwich.

"Not a child, huh?" he repeated.

"Shut up,"

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head. I hissed.

"What?" Len asked, taking a quick glance in my direction.

I closed my eyes, "Nothing, I just… I bit my tongue."

-----------------

I was 15 minutes late for my first class, and I fell asleep during the second one. I dreamed. I didn't want to, but I did.

---

_The sky was beautiful… Huge clouds decorated the blue canvas. _

"_Cumulus?" she asked her father, pointing at the cloudscapes in the sky._

_He looked up and smiled, "Very good. I taught you well,"_

_She laughed._

_The sun shined in all its glory. The soft, cool breeze messed up the girl's hair, but she didn't mind at all. She liked it. She liked how the sunrays hit her skin and made her warm, and how the breeze would make her feel cool._

"_Ok, are you ready?" he asked his daughter, holding the kite above them._

"_Ready," she confirmed._

_---  
_

The professor sent me out of the classroom so I could "walk off the sleep", and in the hallway, I met with Yoh.

"Hey, Annie, how are you?" he asked, hugging me.

"Ok, how about you?"

"Good,"

"What are you doing wondering the hall?" I asked him.

"The professor didn't come, so I'm going to catch up on some homework," he explained.

I smiled. "Yeah, right, you doing homework,"

He laughed; that funny laugh always made me laugh. He laughed like a 6 year old caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, and knowing that he wasn't going to get in trouble because he was too cute. "Hey, it's possible." He complained.

"True, but improbable," I replied. Seconds later, the laughter died.

"So… is everything…" he hesitated, "is everything okay at home?"

My smiled vanished, "Is it ever?"

He gave me another hug and kissed me on my forehead, "Take it easy, okay? And remember, I'm here for you. We all are."

"Thanks," I said, squeezing him back. "I should head back to class now."

"Yeah… good luck at the game, we'll be cheering for the team, as always. Especially for you and Anna."

I forced a smile "Thanks, see you later."

"WOOOOOOO!" he screamed, and ran in the direction to Anna's classroom. Yeah, right, do homework.

----------------

Lunch was at noon and finished at one. Those on the female volleyball team had the rest of the day off so we could do a small practice, go over strategy and chill out. During our chill out time I took a nap. I fell asleep quickly. Next thing I know, Anna is waking me up so I can go get ready.

"What time is it?" I asked, still a little dazed remembering clouds, his smile and how he always called me princess…

"3:15," she answered. The game started at 4.

In the locker room, everyone was so LOUD. They were all screaming and cheering and shit. My head just couldn't take it. I went to the quietest corner I could find and started to change into my sports bra and uniform. I put my hair into a high ponytail, but that didn't help with my headache so I undid it.

"Want me to braid it for you?" Anna asked, coming to sit next to me.

I nodded, "Not too tight,"

When she was done, we both went to wash our faces. We looked at ourselves in the mirror.

-

Anna had really pale skin, straight, blonde, shoulder length hair and dark brown eyes. My skin was more tanned. My dad was Japanese and my mom has Italian and Jamaican heritage (she has the Italian skin and hair, but the Jamaican curves, and so do I). I don't know how the gray eyes kicked in, though, since my mom's are hazel and my dad's were dark brown. Some recessive gene, I guess.

In several parts of South Korea, Japan and China, some people consider darker skin tones as something negative, and many people go to various lengths to bleach it, to get a paler tone, because, white skin is supposed to represent beauty, grace and high social status.

I was born and raised in Japan (before my father died I lived in a different part of Tokyo), and I've dealt with racial discrimination since I was born, but… haven't we all dealt with some sort of discrimination in some point of our life?

-

"You look tired," Anna said, worriedly.

"Didn't get much sleep last night," I answered.

"Problems at home again?"

"Always," I answered. "I spent the night at Len's,"

She seemed surprised, "Oh," she said. "That bad, huh?"

"Not really, I just wanted to avoid it getting worse, that's all."

Suddenly, I started thinking about last night when Len hugged me to comfort me and neither of us let go. I liked it. I liked feeling his arms wrapped around me, and breathing in his scent. I felt that things were changing between us, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

"Why'd you go to Len's?" Anna asked. "I mean, why not come to me?"

I sighed. She's been giving me this weird attitude lately and it's starting to piss me off.

"Because you ask too many questions," I said.

Anna flinched.

I realized it came out harsh and aggressive. "Anna, I'm sorry… I didn't mean—"

"Never mind," she interrupted me and left.

I sighed again. Why did this have to happen right before the game?

----------------

It was now 3:50pm and the bleachers started to fill as us players warmed up. And this headache of mine wouldn't vanish… I stood up from my split position and tried to get to my feet so I could go try patch things up with Anna, but my world started to spin and I fell to the ground. I grabbed my head and closed my eyes.

Throb.

Throb.

Throb…

Someone knelt down beside me and moved some stray hairs from my face, "Wow, what happened? Are you okay?"

Another person rushed to my side, "What happened? Did she faint?"

"I just felt dizzy, that's all," I said as I started to open my eyes. I saw that the two people were Anna and another teammate, Brigitte.

They helped me to my feet and I was sort of disoriented. I looked around, frantically.

"What?" Anna asked, concerned.

"Where is my bottle of water?"

Brigitte got it and handed it to me. I sat down and started to drink. I closed my eyes again, and when I opened them I saw Hao, Yoh and Len in front of me.

"We saw what happened," Hao explained.

"I didn't mean to worry you guys, I just felt dizzy and lost my balance," I explained, forcing a smile.

"Did you have any lunch?" Yoh asked.

"Yes," I answered. Anna, who was to my left, gave me a look, but said nothing.

Len apparently noticed this and asked, "What did you eat?"

"The other half of the sandwich that I had for breakfast," I explained.

"You didn't even finish the first half this morning," he replied.

"Whatever, I ate the rest of it for lunch," I said, angrily. "Now, step aside, I'm feeling claustrophobic."

They exchanged looks, but backed off.

"Annie, I don't think you should play today," Anna said.

"No, no, I'm fine, really," I said.

"Annie,"

"Anna,"

We remained staring at each other, having a silent dispute. They guys observed us.

Anna sighed, "You can play, BUT not until the second set."

"Do I get to play the third set, too, then?" I asked.

"It depends on how you are feeling,"

I nodded. She was the captain after all.

Anna gave me a we'll-talk-later look, and left to discuss the situation with the rest of the team and our coach.

"Good luck," Yoh said, kissing me on my forehead, and then they left.

-

I didn't pay much attention to the first set of the game. My head kept throbbing, and the noise from the spectators wasn't helping. But what really, **really** killed me was the sound of the sneakers screeching.

The first set was over and we won 15-13.

"Annie, are you feeling better?" Anna asked.

"Yes," I lied, but I know she could see right through me. There wasn't much enthusiasm in my voice or determination in my eyes. I don't know why, but she still let me play.

I was the one to begin the rally by serving the ball. I stood behind the inline and prepared myself. I decided a Jump Serve would do to start off this set.

I tossed the ball high into the air and approached at the right time by jumping and hitting it with the palm of my hand. The receiver from our opponent team couldn't handle the ball, which resulted in a score for us. I didn't realize all this had taken place because that Jump Serve made me a bit dizzy. Our spectators cheered and I was handed the ball again. I ignored the wooziness and attempted the Jump Serve again, but it wasn't as powerful and our opponents were determined to show us what they were made of. Their attack was strong, but Brigitte received the ball and passed it. I ran to the spot and set it for Anna to strike… and score!

The game went on and after we scored two times in a row, our opponents set up a tough battle. We were winning 14-10 and we needed to score one point to end this set. I started walking towards the inline so I could serve, but slowed down as I felt my eyelids become heavy. I stopped, closed my eyes and started rubbing my temples. The pain was unbearable now and I made my eyes burn with tears.

"Annie," Anna said, turning me to face her. "You did well, you did enough. Now go take a rest."

"We just need one point," I complained, blinking several times to clear my vision.

"You are in bad shape; those last serves were so weak and when that player blocked your attack you fell to the ground really hard,"

"She's just strong, that's all… I'm fine."

I was squinting in order to see her; there was too much light in the gym. "C'mon, after this set I promise I'll rest."

Anna gave me a long, concerned stare, but then she released me and left to her position. I went to the inline and served. It was weak…

Everything around me started spinning and I fell to my knees. I heard cheers coming from the other side of the gym, which meant that our opponents had scored. My teammates finally realized I was on the ground and they crowded around me. I tried to open my eyes, but it was impossible. I felt the crowd grow bigger and the voices confused me. Everyone was talking at the same time and their voices became more filled with anxiety.

Then, the noise started to fade gradually as if someone was lowing down the volume of a television, and everything went silent. The only thing I could hear now was my breath; rapid and unsteady.

And, all of a sudden, I felt cool. A soft breeze ruffled my hair, and it tickled my face, tempting me to open my eyes. The air no longer reeked of transpiration; it was fresh. My eyelids fluttered open and my vision focused on something dancing in a blue canvas, decorating it with the colors of a rainbow…

_And then it was in the sky; it flew beautifully._

_She laughed with her father as he helped her control the kite, and her mother watched them and took pictures._

"_Can I try?" an older, young boy asked._

"_Sure, take over for me," her father said, and moved from behind his daughter so the boy could help her with the kite._

"_Kids, look over here," her mother said._

_Both of them looked at the camera and smiled._

_

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_

A/N: Well, that's chapter 2 for you. You got to know a little more about Annie. Hope you liked it and thanks for reading; please review.


	3. Krankenhaus

**SAVING ANNIE**

**

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**A/N: Hey, everyone. Here's chapter 3 for you. It's longer than the last one, yay! Oh, and thanks for reading, reviewing and putting this on story alert. :)

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**Chapter 3: Krankenhaus**

I woke up in the hospital three hours later with an IV line on my left hand. I didn't need to open my eyes to tell I was in a hospital; the peculiar smell gave the location away. I did, however, need to open my eyes to realize that my mother was by my side. Needless to say, this astonished me.

She sat on a chair with her head rested on my bed. She was asleep. I lifted my right hand, with great difficulty (it weighed like an anchor), and patted her head.

She moaned softly.

"Mom…" I said in a raspy voice. I cleared my throat.

She lifted her head and saw me looking at her.

"Annie…" She rubbed her eyes, straightened herself and attempted to fix her hair.

I was afraid. What was she going to say to me? Was she going to snap and insult me? Remind me how worthless I am…?

"You fainted… in the middle of your volleyball game," she said, getting up from her seat and looking me over.

"Yeah, and I woke up here…" I said, looking around.

She figured I was looking for my friends and she said, "I sent them home about half an hour ago."

"How come you are here?" I asked.

She looked at me as if I had insulted her, "Of course I'm here. I am your mother."

I refrained from rolling my eyes. "Well… and what about him?"

She looked away from me, "He doesn't know I'm here."

Of course he doesn't. If he knew about what happened he'd use it as another excuse to complain and start an argument; make my mom feel worthless, which would make her take out all her anger and frustration on me… and even after all the drama, I'd still take care of her because she couldn't take care of herself.

"Of course he doesn't. If he knew, you wouldn't be here," I said under my breath.

My mother narrowed her eyes at me, "You know…"

"Oh mother, don't start!" I said, raising my voice. She was going to try defending him. "Just don't."

She was about to leave, but then she spun around and faced me, "Thanks to him, we have a place to live! Thanks to him, we have food on the table!"

"I'd rather live in… in a fucking cardboard box in some alleyway and eat rat shit!" I yelled. "You can't just _pretend _that none of it happened! You can't _ignore _what he did, does and will do if you keep…! He's an evil human being!"

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE THEN!? WHY ARE YOU STILL IN THE DAMN HOUSE!?"

I was about to reply, when someone knocked the door. A nurse came inside. "Is… everything alright?" she asked. She could obviously sense the tension between my mother and I. She must have heard the yelling as she passed by.

My mom sighed heavily and I rubbed my temples.

"I'll… I'll go tell the doctor she's awake." the nurse said, leaving quickly.

My mom walked to the window and stared into the night sky. I closed my eyes and tried to relax; I was getting a headache.

Twenty—silent and tense—minutes later, the doctor arrived.

"Well, you are in good hands now," my mother said, without looking at me.

"Are you leaving?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, I must go home. My husband will reach home and there's no dinner." she explained. She walked to the door and exited the room.

"Hmph." Of course she has to prepare dinner, considering that I'm in the hospital. I usually took care of that… I hope she remembers how to cook.

The doctor cleared his throat to remind me of his presence and break the awkward silence.

"Yes?" I said, snapping out of my thoughts. I was immediately surprised by his appearance, noticing it for the first time.

"My name is Johann Faust, I attended you when you arrived earlier at the ER," he explained. "You'd been slipping in and out of consciousness since you fainted. This is the first time you've actually been awake."

No wonder I didn't remember anything since the game... Then, something clicked, "Excuse me, what did you say your name was?"

He smiled a little, "Johann Faust."

He had white skin, blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He was very tall and lean. His appearance was a little spooky-looking because of the faint, but evident dark lines under his eyes (which made the blue stand out more) and his unusual slightly discolored lips.

"Are you from Germany?" I asked. He nodded. His Japanese was perfect, though; fluent.

"So… Faust as in _the_ Faust who sold his soul to the demon Mephistopheles?" I asked again.

"I'm quite surprised; most people think Mephistopheles is the devil himself," he smiled. "Yes, as in _the_ Faust… I'm his descendant, actually, Johann Faust VIII."

"Oh, wow, that's interesting,"

"What's interesting is the fact that you know about German literature. People don't care for literature itself these days."

"I don't really know about literature, but I like to read," I clarified. "I just know a few random facts about certain stuff. I'm weird like that... and I'm rambling, I'm sorry, I tend to ramble when I'm excited, I mean, I didn't even think that there was a Faust II, wow."

He laughed, and so did the nurse behind him, which was the one that interrupted the argument I was having with my mom earlier. I didn't realize how pretty she was back then. German, too, apparently. She had waist length, wavy blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. She was tall and a little voluptuous. She looked a little pale, and she smiled weakly at me. I guess she was tired, too.

Dr. Faust noticed me watching her and he said, with a smile on his face, "That's my wife, Elizabeth,"

"Oh, nice to meet you," I said and she nodded.

The way they looked at each other, it was so powerful, so full of love. It felt so intimate that I blushed; my presence was so out of place, I didn't belong here. When Dr. Faust turned to look at me, he was still smiling. A smile so warm and kind, that he didn't seem spooky-looking anymore.

They did a check up on me and then they left so I could rest, since it was pretty late already (a little past 10). I was afraid to dream, yet I felt exhausted so I fell asleep quickly.

----------

I woke up early the next morning (around 7) because Dr. Faust wanted to talk to me about my lab results and ask me a few questions. His wife took out my IV and bought me some breakfast. Surprisingly, I was kind of hungry and I finished my soup and half of the French toast.

"So…" Dr. Faust started. "Your blood glucose was low, lower than it's supposed to be. Have you been eating properly?"

"No, I haven't had much of an appetite lately." I answered.

"Have you been under some stress?"

I chuckled. For years, "Yes." I answered.

"May I ask why?"

I know he's just trying to help, but I couldn't answer him. I felt a little guilty because last night I was being nosy, asking him stuff that were none of my business, yet he had answered me. "I'm sorry."

He looked at me for a while, studying my expression. I kept a calm face. He gave me a kind smile and then looked over some lab results. "I'm guessing your menstrual period is irregular?"

"Yes," I answered. "It didn't come on August, and it hasn't come this month yet."

"Have you been to a gynecologist before?"

"No."

"Are you sexually active?"

"No."

"Okay…" he said, more to himself, as he took some notes. "And physically, how have you felt?"

"I've been having headaches, muscular aches, trouble sleeping, and when I do sleep I have nightmares." I explained.

"Okay… and mentally? How are you doing in school?"

"Classes just started and I'm doing alright, though I find it hard to concentrate… It takes me longer than usual to do my homework," I said. "And… I get frustrated easily, sometimes angry all of a sudden…"

He nodded and took more notes, "Okay, so… I'll schedule for you to see a gynecologist in a few hours and maybe you'd like to consider speaking to a… psychologist?"

I gave him a false smile, "No, thanks."

"Mikami-san—"

"Faust-sama." I interrupted.

After a moment of silence he said, "Promise me you'll talk to someone."

I sighed and looked away from him, "I'll try."

I was scheduled to visit the gynecologist at 11am. Since I'm underage, I needed permission from my mom to be examined. She accepted, but didn't come to the hospital to be in the room as the doctor examined me. I said it was alright and asked if Elizabeth could come with me, even though the gynecologist was a female herself.

It was very…. weird, embarrassing and very uncomfortable.

She said everything seemed normal and that the absence of my menstrual period was most probably caused by a hormonal change.

"You should see your period by the end of this month or the middle of next month," she explained. "If not, well, we'll run more tests and see what the problem is and fix it. Either way, you are scheduled to see me on…" she checked her agenda, "October 26th, after your classes."

"Hai, Morioka-sama."

I was wheeled back into my room and served lunch around 1pm. Soup again, white rice, juice and red jell-o. I mixed the rice and the soup together, and started eating. I smiled as I felt the warm soup run down my throat and settle in my stomach.

"Nice to see you enjoying your meal," a female voice said.

I looked towards the door and smiled, "Hey, Anna,"

"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting beside me.

"A bit better," I said. "They'll release me around 4 or 5pm."

"And what did the doctor say?" Anna asked.

"I had a low blood glucose level, and he says I'm stressed," I explained. "Oh, and remember I told you about my menstrual flow being less and then my period didn't come last month? Well, I had to visit a gynecologist."

Anna's eyes widened a bit. "Really? What did they do? How was it?"

"Very… intrusive," I told her. "She used this instrument called a speculum; which consists of like, two hinged blades of concave metal… It was so cold I flinched when she placed it down there and almost kicked her."

Anna chuckled.

"Anyway, she used that thing to retract the tissues of my 'vagaga' so she could examine the lower part of my uterus and—"

"Ok, fine, enough information." Anna interrupted me.

I didn't stop. I enjoyed watching her squirm in her seat.

"She also did what she called a 'bimanual examination', in which she placed one hand on my abdomen and she used—"

"Stop! Stop! STOP!"

Okay, that was enough fun.

"But, you are okay, right?" she asked after a few seconds.

I nodded, "She says it's probably due to a change in my hormonal balance. I should be seeing my period soon. Either way, I have to return for a check up next month."

"Oh,"

I continued to eat, hoping Anna wouldn't start asking questions about yesterday. But she _was_ Anna and she wanted answers. She wouldn't push about my family issues, but about this she would. And since she _was_ Anna she was going to get answers.

"Yesterday…" she started, "when Yoh asked if you had lunch… why did you tell him you did when you didn't?"

I was with her during lunchtime yesterday; of course she would know if I ate and what.

I finished chewing the rice and swallowed, "Thursday night I went to Len's house. Jun burnt the dinner she was making so the three of us went out for pizza," I started to explain. "You guys know I normally eat two or three slices of pizza, plus dessert."

Anna nodded.

"Well, that night I only ate one slice, barely. And I didn't even eat the crust," I usually didn't eat the crust unless it was filled with cheese, and in that case, it was filled with cheese. "Needless to say, I didn't have dessert." And they all know how much I love dessert.

"Len didn't make such a big deal out of it, but then Friday morning I told him I didn't feel for breakfast and he got suspicious. We were late, so we didn't eat at his house; we bought some food on our way to school instead and I ate in the car. It was a sandwich and I didn't even reach to the half of it. I just… wasn't hungry. And, as you know, I didn't eat lunch."

I was looking at my bowl of soup; a little embarrassed. "I didn't want to start an argument with him, that's why I lied."

"And… why the lack of appetite these days?" Anna asked, breaking the awkward silence. There was a lot of that lately.

I put the bowl to my lips and drank the rest of soup. Some rice remained, but I wasn't hungry anymore. I thought up of a way to explain it.

"You know how my family situation is sometimes Bad, and other times it's Very Bad, and how they go back and forward, like two months of Bad and one month of Very Bad?" I asked, as I punctured the juice cartoon with the straw.

Anna nodded in understanding.

"Well… it's been shoved to Worse these days, and it goes back and forward between Very Bad and Worse," I said, and chuckled. "I miss Bad. Things haven't been Bad in quite a while now."

I miss Lyserg. He's the one I used to talk to about my family problems. He knows the most about them, though not all. I wish I could tell him, tell them all, everything. But it's too painful…

"I swear…" I said, closing my eyes, "I only stay because of my mom. She doesn't want to leave him and I can't abandon her."

"Why doesn't she want to leave?" Anna asked.

I was silent for a while, and then I exhaled through my mouth and opened my eyes, "When my father passed away… she was destroyed. I know he was her husband, but he was **my **father also; did she think it wasn't going to affect me as much as it affected her? I was only twelve." I paused, exhaled again and continued. "She dealt with the pain by going out, getting drunk, one night stands… That went on for about seven months. My mom didn't have a job, so, the bills stacked up and we were about to lose the house. And then she met _him_, and a month after meeting, they got married. Just like that. I hadn't even met him until we moved to his house, which was like an hour away from ours.

"And, well, it went all downhill from there. And frankly, I wasn't surprised. I knew something wasn't right about him. I just… had a feeling. And I still have that feeling… like, the worse is yet to come… And, as you know, when we moved here things didn't get any better…"

Anna remained silent, taking it all in.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking away. "I haven't answered your question clearly." I also rambled when I was nervous or embarrassed.

"Yeah, you better be sorry," Anna said.

I chuckled a bit and answered, "She doesn't leave him because she 'loves' him and because 'thanks to him we have a place to live and food on the table.'" And then I added, "… She's scared of him… and what he's capable of."

I sighed and tried to change the subject, "So, who won the match?"

Anna was about to answer, but she was interrupted by someone knocking the door. She grunted, hating bring interrupted.

I cleared my throat, "Come in."

Len stomped in with an annoyed look on his face and stood at the foot of my bed. I wonder what… Oh, he's wearing that jacket… I loved that jacket on him, by the way…

"What bit your ass?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Len was about to answer, when…

The always hyperactive Horo-Horo jumped into the room dressed in a red vest, a white, long-sleeved, buttoned up shirt, a black bow tie, black slacks, shiny black shoes and a… red and white striped Dr. Seuss hat? He was grinning widely.

If possible, Anna's eyebrow raised even more and Len rolled his eyes at his Ainu friend. Then, Yoh jumped into the room, dressed in the same way. Anna narrowed her eyes at him and was about to speak, but was interrupted (yet again) by the boys singing and marching:

_**Horo**: __You have AIDS._

_**Yoh**: __Yes, you have AIDS._

_**Horo**: I hate to tell you, boy, that you have AIDS._

_**Yoh**: You got the AIDS._

_**Horo**: You may have caught it when you stuck that filthy needle in here_ (He indicates my arm).

-

What in the world? By now I was having a laugh attack. More like, _the_ laugh attack. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even open my eyes, yet tears still managed to make there way out and roll down my face. I laughed my head off all the way to the end of their performance.

-

_**Bass Solo by Yoh**: I'm sorry, I wish it was something less serious._

_**Both**: But it's AIDS. You've got the AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIDS._

_-  
_

I laughed so much that I forgot how to breathe, and whenever I tried to breathe I started laughing again and louder. More tears streamed down my eyes and eventually I began coughing. While I was calming down (or at least trying to), Anna pounded both of them saying it was a "tasteless joke". Sure, some people would find it offensive, but the joke wasn't for _some people_, it was for me.

"You guys watch way too much TV," Len complained, yet the corner of his lips twitched. Was he trying to hold back a smile? Anna was biting her bottom lip when she took her seat again.

"I don't care what you say, man, Family Guy rules!" Horo grinned.

I covered my face with my hands as I laughed a little more.

"You haven't had one of those laugh attacks in ages, Annie," Horo smiled as he rubbed his sore head.

"I know," I smiled widely. "I needed that, thanks."

Yoh had that silly grin plastered on his face, which made me erupt laughing again. Horo and Yoh joined me. Len closed his eyes and started chuckling and Anna smiled, biting her lower lip yet again (Hey, they are humans, too).

"You're in a better mood now." I smiled at Len.

"Hm." he said, and looked away, with a faint smile on his pale pink lips…

After a while of silliness between Yoh, Horo and I (my cheeks, my throat and my abs hurt from laughing so much, and I was hoarse), we finally calmed down. I was thirsty; I remembered I still had my juice on the tray and finished it quickly. I took a few spoons of my jell-o and offered the rest to the gluttonous Horo-Horo.

"So, what did the doctor say?" Len asked.

I gave the boys a brief explanation, but when it was time for the gynecology part they blushed furiously and refused to listen.

"C'mon," I said, "Don't you want to know what she did with the speculum?"

"NO!"

"What about with her hands?"

"ANNIE!"

"You aren't fooling me; I know you want to know."

"ANNIE!"

I snickered. I was bluffing, of course. I wasn't comfortable talking about _that_ to them.

----------

"Where's Hao?" I asked Yoh.

He shrugged, "He said he was coming,"

I still consider Hao as part of the gang despite the fact that he doesn't really hang out with us anymore. I don't really blame him for making that decision, though. He needed time to heal.

As if on cue, someone knocked the door and then entered. It was Yoh's identical twin brother, older by a few minutes.

"Hey, bro." Yoh smiled faintly.

Hao remained serious and nodded. He then turned to me and tried to smile, "Feeling better?"

"Yes, thanks for coming." I smiled back.

"No problem," he answered, making his way to my left side. Yoh, Horo and Len were at the foot of my bed and Anna was at my right side.

He looked at my face for a while and then he said, "Your mom's out there, signing some papers and talking to the doctor."

"Oh." I replied. "I didn't know she was here." She probably came to pick me up… I would be leaving in a while, so I guess I should take a bath and put some fresh clothes on.

"So… how's everything?" I asked him.

"Never better." he said, sarcastically.

Anna fidgeted a bit in her seat and Yoh walked towards the window and pretended to look outside. Horo fumbled with his bow tie—it was strangling him—and Len rolled his eyes at him.

His presence made the atmosphere in the room become stressed. We all knew that, including Hao.

"Well, I should get going now." Hao said suddenly.

"What? So soon?" I asked, taken a bit by surprise.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Yes." he grumbled. "I'm late for this thing."

"Oh, um, ok… Thanks for coming, seriously."

He stared at me for a while and then he left without saying anything.

"He shouldn't have bothered coming in the first place." Horo murmured, but I had heard him and punched him on his shoulder.

"I wanted him to come." I said, sternly.

"Fine, fine, I was only joking."

"It was 'tasteless'" I said, quoting Anna.

----------

I finished bathing and looked into the bag of clothes my mom bough for me last night. I put on a long, dark blue pair of sweatpants and a white tank top. I came out of the bathroom and sat on my bed so I could put on my sneakers.

Len took my bag for me as I sat on the wheelchair and was rolled out of the room by Yoh. We all headed to the reception area to look for my mom. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Mikami-san," a familiar voice called. We turned around and saw it was Dr. Faust walking up to me. "Your mother… she said she had to go, so she left some money for you to take a cab." He handed me a twenty dollar bill.

I took it from him (almost snatching it) and sighed, "Should've known…"

"Don't worry about it; I'll give you a ride." Len said.

I nodded and then tried to smile. "Thank you, Faust-sama. And also, thank you for attending me so well."

"Faust, as in _Faustus_?" Len asked.

"Yeah," I turned to speak to Len, "he's his descendant, Faust VIII."

Len eyes widened a bit, "Wow… I didn't even know there was a Faust II."

I laughed because I had said the same thing (call me childish), and so did Dr. Faust, "Wow, I seem to be meeting very bright teenagers lately. Humanity might have a chance at survival." he said.

Len looked at the confused look on Horo's face and snorted, "Wouldn't bet on it, though."

A vein popped out on Horo's forehead and he cursed in Hokkaido Ainu language. He was very proud of his indigenous ethnicity, as opposed to some Ainu people who hide their backgrounds because of ethnic issues in Japan. Horo, like me, was no stranger to ethnic discrimination.

"Dr. Johann Faust VIII." the German man introduced himself.

"Tao, Len."

"Asakura, Yoh."

Usui, Horokeu."

"Kyoyama, Anna."

"Nice to meet you all," he smiled. "Will you excuse us for a second?" he asked as he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Sure," Len said. "We'll be waiting by the vending machines."

I nodded and Dr. Faust rolled me away to a quiet corner.

"Mikami-san," he started.

"Please, call me Annie."

He smiled, "Very well."

He kneeled down and took something out of his coat pocket and placed it in my left hand. It was his business card.

"Dr. Faust?" I questioned.

"Annie," he started, "if you need help, don't doubt it and call me."

He looked straight into my eyes, concerned.

He knew.

He knew that I had to deal with issues that went way beyond my maturity level. He knew about the demons that haunted me. He knew that I couldn't handle it; that it was too much for me. He knew that everyday I die a little bit inside. And he, somehow, knew that things were going to get worse… that someday I was going to fall apart… that I would break, probably, beyond repair… and he was afraid for me.

"Dr. Faust…" I looked away. "_Vielen Dank._"

He smiled. "No problem. I'll see you in two weeks for your check up, ok?"

I nodded and he took me back to my friends.

"Again, nice to meet you all," he smiled. "Take care."

I reached out for my bag and put the card in a small pocket.

"What did Dr. Creepy want?" Horo asked.

I punched him on right leg.

"Ow!" he yelped. "What?!"

"Don't talk about him like that, he's really nice."

"I never said he wasn't, but he looks like a—"

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Nevermind." he said, quickly.

I looked over to where Dr. Faust was and saw him with his wife, Elizabeth. She looked back and waved at me. I smiled and waved back. She had bags of food in her hands; they were going to have lunch together. Faust lifted her chin delicately and gave her a tender kiss on her lips. They broke apart slowly and looked into each others eyes. Like yesterday, I blushed madly, feeling like an intruder and I looked away.

"Is that his wife? Damn, how did that undead European zombie end up with a woman like her?"

I punched him on his sore leg, causing him to hiss.

"Dammit, you are giving me a headache." I mumbled, and then I heard a _smack_.

"Are you trying to make her relapse or something!?" Anna exclaimed.

"But why am I the only one getting hit here?!" Horo yelled back, rubbing his face. "Besides, he _is_ creepy!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?!"

People were starting to look in our direction.

"Guys..." Yoh said, trying to calm them down

"Why so defensive of that Faust guy, Annie?" Len asked, taking off his jacket and putting it over my shoulders. "It's kind of cold outside."

I smiled. "Thanks."

The both of us looked to where Dr. Faust and his wife still stood, in their own little world, unaffected by the turmoil caused by Anna and Horo. He was taking the bags from Elizabeth and laughing about something she had said.

"He's… very kind, and he and his wife attended me well." I explained.

"Oh… but he does look creepy."

I giggled and it seemed to take Len by surprise. "Yeah, a little."

He stared at me. "What?" I asked.

"Oh, uh… nothing, just—Oh, crap!"

"What?" I asked, and turned to where he was looking at. "Oh, crap!"

Horo was being taken away by a security guard, Anna was being held by another, and an unconscious Yoh was being taken away by two male doctors.

"Well, let's go." he said, rolling me in the opposite direction.

"Len, we can't leave them here." I said.

"And why the hell not?!" he said, still rolling

"I'll tell Jun about this."

He stopped abruptly.

"Thought so."

* * *

A/N: Ok, so, first of all: The "AIDS song" isn't mine. It comes from an American animated television sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company called **Family Guy**. And second: I heard the term "vagaga" (which is used to refer to... well, you know) on a Youtube show called **What the Buck **by Michael Buckley. He always makes me laugh xD

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review. Ciao.


	4. Hospital

**SAVING ANNIE**

**

* * *

**A/N: Damn, it's been a while... Does anyone still read this? I'm sorry I've taken so long... I'm trying to finish this fanfic; wanting to end the bad habit of never finishing them.

**

* * *

Chapter 4: Hospital  
**

She fell.

My heart skipped a beat and, before I knew it, I was on my feet.

The French girl, Brigitte, and Anna were by her side quickly. They helped her to her feet, as she struggled to maintain her balance. She started looking around frantically for something.

"Wow, what happened to Annie?" Yoh asked, just noticing that something was wrong.

"Let's check it out," I said, heading to the court, with Yoh right behind me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Hao get up from where he was.

Annie sat down and started drinking from her water bottle.

Yoh and I reached her side a few seconds before Hao. When she opened her eyes, she was a bit startled to see us there.

She was a little pale and it seemed she couldn't quite focus her vision on us yet.

"We saw what happened," Hao said.

"I didn't mean to worry you guys, I just felt dizzy and lost my balance," she explained, forcing a smile. That irritated me.

"Did you have any lunch?" Yoh asked her.

"Yes," she answered.

I narrowed my eyes at her; she was lying.

"What did you eat?" I asked her.

"The other half of the sandwich that I had for breakfast," she said, quickly.

"You didn't even finish the first half this morning," I stated. I hadn't given her sudden lack of appetite much thought until this morning. It was the first time I actually noticed it. Not even last night, when she only ate a slice of pizza; I had thought she had eaten something at home before she came to my house. And… now that I _really_ think of it, this irregular behavior had started weeks ago.

"Whatever, I ate the rest of it for lunch," she answered, slightly angered. "Now, step aside, I'm feeling claustrophobic."

All of us backed off to give her some space, except for Anna. She kneeled down to Annie's side and said, "Annie, I don't think you should play today"

"No, no, I'm fine, really," she said.

Her dismissive attitude caused me to exhale loudly in frustration. She was not fine; she hasn't eaten anything since this morning… and she needed sleep. I just noticed the dark lines under her eyes. She must have used make up to cover them before.

"Annie,"

"Anna,"

They stared at each other, having a silent dispute. Yoh, Brigitte and I just observed.

Anna sighed, "You can play, BUT not until the second set."

"Do I get to play the third set, too, then?" she asked.

I grumbled, loudly.

"It depends on how you are feeling," Anna said.

I was sort of expecting her to complain, but she just nodded.

Anna and Brigitte left to discuss the situation with the rest of the team and their coach.

"Good luck," Yoh said, kissing her on her forehead. She looked at me and quickly looked away as she noticed my gaze upon her.

Yoh and I headed to out seats. "Why did Anna make her have her way?" I protested as we sat down and observed the players take their positions.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright," Yoh said as we headed to our seats.

We sat, and five minutes later, the game started.

I didn't pay attention to the first set off the game. I wouldn't admit it out loud, but I was worried sick about Annie. She wasn't watching the game, either. She spent most of the time with her head between her knees.

The second set started and Annie was the one to begin the rally by serving the ball. Her Jump Serve was powerful, but not as it should have been. Still, the receiver from the other team couldn't handle it, which resulted in a score for our team.

Annie served the ball again, but it was weaker and the other team was prepared. Eventually, Anna scored.

As the game went on, I noticed how Annie got weaker. She wasn't very active and her serves hardly passed the net. She even fell to the ground when one of the opponent players blocked her attack. Right now, we were winning 14-10 and Anna was talking to Annie. Anyone with half a brain would know that Anna was telling Annie to go rest, but she was stubborn and wanted to finish this set. I could see the worry and the frustration in Anna's eyes as she gave the ball to her friend so she could serve the ball.

Needless to say, her serve was weak. I don't know what took place after. I just heard Yoh gasp and saw as Annie fell to her knees. Cheers came from the other end of the field and Yoh and I reached to Annie before everyone else started surrounding her.

I kneeled down next to her and started to shake her, gently. "Annie, wake up," I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Anna yelled.

The crowd became bigger and I could feel the air getting thicker. Annie's breathing became shorter and unsteady.

Yoh and Hao tried to back everyone off, but it was useless. Frustrated, I picked up Annie in my arms and yelled at everyone to move. "Forget the ambulance," I said, "I'll take her to the hospital, it'll be faster."

"I'll go with you!" Anna said, and both of us exited the gym and hurried to my car. "I'll call as soon as we get to the hospital." She told the team.

I put Annie in the back seat, resting her head on Anna's lap and hurried to the driver's seat.

"See you guys at the hospital," Hao said as he went to his car with Yoh (pushing aside sibling rivalry, given the current situation), who was on the phone with Horo, informing him of the situation.

She slipped in and out of consciousness, never waking up fully. She whimpered, asking for her dad, saying that she missed him. She called out for someone named Keiichi.

"Who's Keiichi?" Anna asked.

I gripped the steering wheel and pushed on the gas, "I don't know."

"She'll be fine, Len," Anna told me.

No she won't. She isn't. She hasn't been fine for months, and Anna knew it.

It took us 20 minutes to reach to the hospital. I lifted Annie once again and headed straight to the ER.

She was attended immediately, taken away from us and we were forced to wait at the reception area.

Three minutes later, the Asakura brothers arrived and sat beside us. Yoh was the one to call Annie's mother and explain the situation to her.

"Miss, your daughter is in the hospital," he'd said, sternly, "Your husband can cook his own meal tonight."

It worried us to think that she was more concerned about her husband's dinner than her daughter's condition…

We have all come from a broken home… maybe that's why we became friends… because we are all fucked up.

Jun and I were raised in China by a loving mother and a very strict and severe father, who's methods of raising his first-born son weren't the most… accepted. That's why, as Jun turned 18, with the help of our mother, she fled to Japan and took me with her. I was 14... She enrolled me into KAIS and started taking fashion, make-up and business classes. She also taught Mandarin in a language center. It's been two years since we've heard from our parents. We worry about our mother… and, even though I don't show it, I constantly worry about Jun. She was smart enough to create a saving account for both of us since she was 13, without our father knowing about it. She was brave enough to leave with me. She saved me…

Anna was abandoned by her parents at the age of 3 because her parents feared her. She was just different from the other kids. Each family that ever adopted her abandoned her for that very same fact. Then, no one ever wanted her again… She had to deal with being bullied by the other kids and being neglected from the workers of the orphanage. But when she was 8, she was adopted for the very fact that she was different. She was adopted by Kino and Yohmei Asakura, Yoh's grandparents.

Kino was an Itako, a female shaman with the ability to communicate with the dead and the power to remove evil spirit from this world, or… bring them back. She immediately detected Anna's gift and she and her husband decided to adopt her, so she could train her. Hardly anyone knows about Anna's training, but she is still mocked at times for being raised by the "Crazy old blind lady", and also, kids at school call her relationship with Yoh "incestuous".

The Asakura family, though they really love each other, don't really get along anymore… Mikihisa Asakura, Kino and Yohmei's son, fell in love with a beautiful woman named Keiko. She was never really fond of the shaman traditions, yet she respected it, since it never interfered with her relationship with Mikihisa. Years later, they got married and had twin boys: Hao, the oldest by three minutes, and Yoh. You could say everything was fine until Anna's arrival, because that's when Kino and Yohmei got more involved in their lives since Kino wanted Anna to become on of the boys fiancée. Keiko didn't approve and disliked the fact that Mikihisa would let their sons befriend the little girl. As they grew older, into their teen years, the Asakura siblings became fond of Anna and so their little rivalry began. Keiko was infuriated, and shunned the girl, prohibiting her sons to see her, giving Mikihisa an ultimatum that she would leave him if he tried to stop her.

The boys courted Anna, who, in the end, chose Yoh. Hao was deeply hurt and infuriated, and immediately told his mother about his brother's relationship with the young Itako, which resulted in a huge fight… Keiko disapproves of the relationship, yet she accepts it, not wanting to cause anymore stress on the family. It's already enough with the arguments because of Hao not getting along with anyone, and saying that Yoh is their favorite son. Yoh gets along with his father, but not with his mother, and Keiko still loves her husband (though things aren't the same anymore), but dislikes her in-laws and Anna…

The stupid Ainu, Horo, left his village to get a better education, but is still very proud and not ashamed at all of his heritage, though society gives him a hard time. His parents saw this as an act of betrayal and disowned him, and shunned him from the village. His little sister, Pirika, stayed behind, but escapes to Tokyo whenever she can to visit and encourage her big brother. He somehow got a full scholarship to KAIS and works part time in order to pay for his apartment, food and bills. His motivation when things get tough: his sister.

Lyserg, you could say, is the one that keeps us from falling apart. Ironically, he isn't here. He moved to Germany in March with his parents, but will be back in December to spend the holidays with us. I know that's something Annie is looking forward to…

"Who's going to tell Lyserg?" I asked.

An hour and a half later, Annie's mother arrived and went into her room. We waited eagerly for her to come back out because the doctor's wouldn't tell us anything about her condition since we weren't related to her.

Half an hour later, she came out of the room and walked up to us. We stood from our seats.

"Thanks for bringing her here," she said, her voice lacking emotion.

"How is she? What happened?" Anna asked.

Annie's mother cleared her throat and said, "She's still unconscious… They still don't know what's wrong with her; tests results aren't back yet."

"Can we see her?" Yoh asked.

"I think you guys should go home and… come back tomorrow," she said. "It's getting late…"

"Oh…"

"Thanks again," she said, and she left, going back to her daughter's room.

We left. I gave Anna a ride home.

"Hi, how was your day?" Jun asked as I stepped into the kitchen. "Your dinner is in the oven."

"Thanks," I murmured and went straight to the fridge for some milk.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I took a few gulps and then said, "Annie's in the hospital."

"WHAT? WHY? WHAT HAPPENED?" Jun shrieked, and though I expected it, I wasn't prepared and was startled.

"Dammit, Jun!" I yelled, as I wiped my nose; milk had squirted out.

"Sorry, sorry," she said dismissively. "But what happened to Annie?"

"She fainted in the middle of the volleyball game and hasn't regained consciousness since…"

Jun took her hands to her mouth, "Oh my goodness…"

I woke up at 7am Saturday morning and had some toast and tea for breakfast because I wasn't really that hungry, but I didn't want to start the day off on an empty stomach. Once I was done eating I started my homework. I didn't finish all of it; I found it hard to concentrate since I was worried about Annie. I decided that training would help clear my mind.

I loved practicing martial arts. My favorites were Kung Fu and Hapkido. I've been training since I could walk and I've won many medals in national and international competitions. It helps me relax and clear my mind… Some people do yoga, I kick and break shit.

Around 11am I stopped training and took a quick bath. Then, I resumed my homework duties and finished successfully an hour and a half later.

"I'll have to pick up those losers in a while," I said to myself as I headed to the kitchen to make some lunch for Jun and I.

Jun had a mad schedule: she took business administration classes Monday through Thursday from noon to 6pm and from 7pm to 10pm she had to go to design school. And sometimes she'd have to wake up at 4am to go work, doing make-up or helping with the wardrobe. She had Friday to herself, unless she had to work, and on Saturdays and Sundays she taught Mandarin from 9am to 1pm. She had to work today, but I called in sick for her because she was too exhausted. She's had a lot more work lately and was clearly overdoing it.

I prepared four chicken sandwiches with mushroom, spinach and cheese (cooking was another hobby of mine); two for Jun and two for myself. I wrote "lunch" on a piece of paper and stuck it on the microwave and put her sandwiches in it, and had mine with a glass of milk.

As soon as I was done, I grabbed my coat, got in my car and headed to Horo's apartment to pick him and Yoh up.

"What the…" I started.

Yoh and Horo chuckled as they got in the car.

Both idiots were dressed in red vests, white, long-sleeved, buttoned up shirts, black bow ties, black slacks, shiny black shoes and… red and white striped Dr. Seuss hat?

I grunted, "Why do you guys always have to be so freaking ridiculous?"

"And why do you have to be so sour?" Horo said, slipping into the back seat. "Maybe if you had a sense of humor, Annie'd be into you."

"I don't know what you are talking about…" I said, avoiding his gaze.

"C'mon, Lenny…"

A vein popped on my forehead. I hated being called "Lenny".

"Oh, I forgot, you only let your sister call you 'Lenny'" he snickered, "… and also Annie, lately."

"That's it!"

I was about to turn and pound him, but Yoh held me by the shoulder, "Guys, we are wasting time. Let's get on the move." he said.

I stared at him for a while, and then looked at Horo, whom had his arms up, protecting his face. I sighed, "Fine." And put my hands on the steering wheel.

Horo relaxed and lowered his hands. "…Pss, I've seen the way you look at her," he muttered.

Yoh grabbed his head and sighed; he knew he couldn't stop me from pounding Horo this time.

What did he mean that he noticed the way I looked at her? How do I look at her? And, what about Annie being into me and shit? Was he assuming I had a crush on her? Because I don't. I mean, she's my friend and I care for her, but that's it! And I do have a sense of humor! And there's nothing wrong with it!

"Len, slow down," Yoh said, snapping me out of my thoughts, "we are almost there."

I took my foot off the gas a bit and looked through the rear view mirror and saw Horo rubbing his head. Maybe he's stupid because I hit him too much…

But maybe she would like me more if I wasn't so… yeah. We have gotten closer over the past months, though; since Lyserg left, to be specific.

Remembering him and the time he and Annie spent together made me feel… Ugh, I can't describe it. It's like… before it bugged me when they hugged or held hands because, back then, I thought it was corny. And now, remembering those moments made me feel somewhat upset. Why was he the one to hold her hand or play with her hair? Why was he the one to taste her lips…?

I bumped into Yoh, who had suddenly stopped walking. We were in front of Annie's hospital room and we could hear her speaking loudly; voice full of anguish. The three of us stepped our ears to the door, almost pressing our ears against it.

"_When my father passed away… she was destroyed. I know he was her husband, but he was __**my **__father also; did she think it wasn't going to affect me as much as it affected her? I was only twelve." _There was a pause, and then Annie continued._ "She dealt with the pain by going out, getting drunk, one night stands… That went on for about seven months. My mom didn't have a job, so, the bills stacked up and we were about to lose the house. And then she met him, and a month after meeting, they got married. Just like that. I hadn't even met him until we moved to his house, which was like an hour away from ours._

"_And, well, it went all downhill from there. And frankly, I wasn't surprised. I knew something wasn't right about him. I just… had a feeling. And I still have that feeling… like, the worse is yet to come… And, as you know, when we moved here things didn't get any better…"_

"Guys," Yoh said, pulling away, "we shouldn't be doing this."

Horo and I also backed off.

"How could her mother do that?" I said, upset. "She's supposed to— she was only twelve!"

"Sshh," Yoh said, "they'll hear you and know we were eavesdropping."

I grunted and knocked on the door loudly.

"_Come in,"_ she said.

I opened the door and walked in, standing at the foot of her bed.

"What bit your ass?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I was about to answer when…

The always stupid Horo jumped into the room, grinning widely.

If possible, Anna's eyebrow rose even more and I rolled my eyes at my Ainu friend. Then, Yoh jumped into the room. Anna narrowed her eyes at him and was about to speak, but was interrupted by the boys singing and marching:

_**Horo**: You have AIDS_

_**Yoh**: Yes, you have AIDS_

_**Horo**: I hate to tell you, boy, that you have AIDS_

_**Yoh**: You got the AIDS_

_**Horo**: You may have caught it when you stuck that filthy needle in here_ (He indicates Annie's arm).

And Annie just started laughing. She was having a serious laugh attack. She laughed so much she didn't even make noises. She laughed so much she was crying. She hadn't laughed like that in ages. I smiled…

_**Bass Solo by Yoh**: I'm sorry, I wish it was something less serious_

_**Both**: But it's AIDS You've got the AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIDS._

Yoh and Horo's silly, yet effective, performance was over and Annie was still laughing. She reminded me of a hyena, only that her laughter was cute… how she'd try to breathe, but ended up laughing again or coughing…

As Annie calmed down, Anna pounded Yoh and Horo, scolding them for their 'tasteless' and offensive joke. Heh, whatever, Family Guy is awesome.

After everyone calmed down, Annie explained to us what the doctor had said. She attempted to go into details with the gynecology part, but… no.

"C'mon," she said, "Don't you want to know what she did with the speculum?"

"NO!" we screamed.

"What about her hands?"

"ANNIE!"

"You aren't fooling me; I know you want to know."

"ANNIE!"

She snickered.

She asked for Hao, and, as if on cue, someone knocked the door and entered.

"Hey bro," Yoh smiled faintly.

His presence was brief; he knew he made everyone tense because of the situation regarding Yoh and Anna.

"Thanks for coming, seriously…" Annie said. They stared at each other for a moment and then Hao left, without saying a word.

I knew that that look meant something… Sometimes, Annie would ditch us at lunch to go be with Hao, whom ate lunch with another group, and he'd ditch them as well. She's never told us what they talk about or anything, saying it was between her and Hao. Anna would get upset at times, but she didn't care. _"I know this is hard for all of us,"_ Annie'd say, _"but imagine how he feels… he's felt it necessary to alienate himself from us… He's in deep pain, and though he may push us away, he really doesn't want to be alone… No one deserves to go through a tough time alone."_

I sighed. If only she'd listen to her own advice and let us help her go through all that she is going through…

Annie took a bath; when Hao came, he'd told her that her mother was here to pick her up. Yoh rolled her out of the room and we headed to the reception area to look for her mom, but she was no where to be seen.

"Mikami-san," voice called out. A tall, pale-looking doctor walked up to her, "your mother… she said she had to go, so she left some money for you to take a cab." He said, handing her a twenty dollar bill.

She, unknowingly, snatched it from him and sighed, "Should've known…"

"Don't worry about it; I'll give you a ride." I told her.

She nodded and forced a smile. "Thank you, Faust-sama. And also, thank you for attending me so well."

"Faust, as in _Faustus_?" I asked.

"Yeah," Annie told me, "he's his descendant, Faust VIII."

I couldn't help being surprised, "Wow… I didn't even know there was a Faust II."

Annie and Dr. Faust laughed as if the were enjoying some inside joke, "Wow, I seem to be meeting very bright teenagers lately. Humanity might have a chance at survival." he said.

I looked at the confused look on Horo's face and snorted, "Wouldn't bet on it, though."

A vein popped out on Horo's forehead and he cursed in Hokkaido Ainu language.

"Dr. Johann Faust VIII." the German man introduced himself.

"Tao, Len."

"Asakura, Yoh."

Usui, Horokeu."

"Kyoyama, Anna."

"Nice to meet you all," he smiled. "Will you excuse us for a second?" he asked as he put a hand on Annie's shoulder.

"Sure," I said. "We'll be waiting by the vending machines."

Annie nodded and Dr. Faust rolled her away to a quiet corner.

Three minutes later or so, Dr. Faust rolled Annie back to us. She looked kind of anxious for a second, as if… someone found out one of her deepest secrets…

"Again, nice to meet you all," he smiled. "Take care."

Annie reached out for her bag and put something in one of its small pockets.

"What did Dr. Creepy want?" Horo asked.

She punched him on his right leg.

"Ow!" he yelped. "What?"

"Don't talk about him like that, he's really nice."

"I never said he wasn't, but he looks like a—"

She narrowed her eyes at him. I wouldn't admit it out loud, but she can be scary when she wants to be.

"Never mind." Horo said, quickly.

Annie looked over to where Dr. Faust was with a woman, who I assumed was his wife, and waved at them.

"Is that his wife? Damn, how did that undead European zombie end up with a woman like her?"

She punched Horo on his sore leg, causing him to hiss.

"Dammit, you are giving me a headache." she mumbled, and then I heard a _smack_.

"Are you trying to make her relapse or something!" Anna exclaimed.

"But why am I the only one getting hit here?" Horo yelled back, rubbing his face. "Besides, he _is_ creepy!"

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is?"

People were starting to look in our direction.

"Guys..." Yoh said, trying to calm them down

"Why so defensive of that Faust guy, Annie?" I asked, taking off my jacket and putting it over her shoulders. "It's kind of cold outside."

She smiled. "Thanks."

The both of us looked to where Dr. Faust and his wife still stood, in their own little world, unaffected by the turmoil caused by Anna and Horo. He was taking the bags from her and laughing about something she had said.

"He's… very kind, and he and his wife attended me well." she explained.

"Oh… but he does look creepy."

She giggled and it kind of took me by surprise. "Yeah, a little."

"…What?" she asked. I didn't realize I was staring at her.

"Oh, uh… nothing, just—Oh, crap!"

"What?" she asked again, and turned to where I was looking at now. "Oh, crap!"

Horo was being taken away by a security guard, Anna was being held by another, and an unconscious Yoh was being taken away by two male doctors.

"Well, let's go." I said, rolling her in the opposite direction.

"Len, we can't leave them here." she said.

"And why the hell not?" he exclaimed, still rolling her away.

"I'll tell Jun about this."

I stopped abruptly.

"Thought so."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, this chapter was basically Chapter 3 in Len's POV. Wanted to change things up a bit. Please review, tell me what you think. Thanks! :)


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